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Richard Stoker
Richard Stoker is a long-time resident of Vault 45, and one of the many advocates for extension of the Vault's community to the surface, acting as the leader of this sizeable faction, which incorporates a number of long-time residents of the Vault and newly arrived Wastelanders. Biography Richard Stoker was born in Vault 45 on November 30th, 2245 to one of the numerous families that had remained inside the Vault for over two generations living in Vault 45 at that time. Though both his parents were part of the original Vault residents, a part of a group which, having never left the safety, comfort, or the solitude of the Vault, had a deep animosity for the new arrivals to the Vault, they were open advocates for wasteland-vault dweller community cohesion, despite the numerous misgivings that their friends, colleagues and even they had against the new arrivals, and the mutual feeling of contempt in the community between the two groups, and passed this rather optimistic and perhaps naive attitude on to their only son. Stoker began to attend the Vault's numerous educational programs and, despite never being academically proficient, became noted from an early age for his liberal views and charisma, something which prompted the Vault security to put his name on file at the tender age of just 7 years old. On his 10th birthday, his parents went out of their way to invite numerous new-arrivals and their children to their son's party, alongside already present Vault residents and their children; the event was quite well advertised, with praise and scorn coming from all sides. During and in the wake of the fairly well-attended festivities a few of the new-arrivals and the Vault dwellers warmed up to each other, leading to a slightly better understanding of each other and a slightly more cohesive party than was expected, although it did leave many in the Vault, including the young Stoker, feeling that the couple had turned their son into little more than a form of propaganda. Despite this, Stoker attitude did not change towards the idea of a larger, more cohesive Vault community, although his attitudes to his parents certainly did. During the years immediately following his 10th birthday, Stoker began his first work assignments, usually alongside the children of wastelanders. It was here that he noticed a pattern: elitist snobbery in Vault 45 residents, and a downtrodden sense of defiance in wastelanders. Stoker felt that such an air of hostility would be nothing but trouble, and took his complaints to then Overseer in 2262 aged just 16. Naturally, his complaints and opinions were quickly dismissed, and he was both privately and openly chastised by the Vault's administration, via word of mouth, leaflet and even the internal Vault radio broadcasts. This did, however, lead to Stoker gaining a small amount of fame among some of his fellow Vault dwellers and wastelanders. When he took the General Occupational Aptitude Test, as per standard Vault-Tec prescribed educational measures still in use by the Vault 45 administration, he was chosen to begin work as a teacher, despite his and others wishes to become a scientist, leading to some accusing the Vault administration of sabotaging his test and deliberately relegating him to an 'unimportant' occupation. If indeed it was an intentional act, it turned out to have a rather disastrous effect of the administration. Instead of remaining relatively neutral in the Vault's political events, not to mention teaching an administration-friendly curriculum, he became more and more outspoken in his criticism of the Vault's politics, even subverting the curriculum and teaching his students his own, more liberal curriculum. Naturally, this leads to a somewhat hostile reception from some of the more conservative residents of the Vault, who came to view him as a subversive dissident. In time Stoker, having discovered that the Vault's ever-increasing population would be unlikely to remain housed in the Vault, came to the conclusion that eventually the Vault's borders would have to extend to above ground. He also realized that an air of mutual co-operation would make such a thing possible, and, without that, the original inhabitants faced a difficult and almost impossible task of surviving up on the surface, somewhere that mostly all lacked any knowledge of. It was at this point that Richard decided to set about forming a group that would attempt to pressurize and educate the administration and Vault populace respectively about setting up some form of dwelling on the surface. As with all his suggestions and actions, some Vault dwellers and a majority of wastelanders agreed, whilst a majority of Vault dwellers and, surprisingly, a minority of wastelanders disagreed. Why would the residents, some of whom had gone to great lengths to escape the barbarity and danger of the wasteland only recently, go out onto the surface and risk their lives over what seemed to be little more than an uneducated guess by a mere teacher. In 2280, Stoker officially formed the 'Vault Committee in favour of leaving the Vault', or VCV as it came to be known most commonly. Stoker works tirelessly in his attempts to round up support for his ideas, despite the usual skeptic dismissal from his fellow Vault dwellers and hostile animosity from wastelanders. Personality Richard Stoker is well known around the Vault for being a somewhat philosophical and isolated person, rarely attending social gatherings and instead burying himself under paperwork, books, and records. He does, however, meet those who support his ideas on a regular basis, discussing in great depth his ideals to those who find the time, and patience, to listen to his often ranting speeches. He appears to have a rather recalcitrant attitude as well, treating Vault security guards with a mix of disgust and disdain, mainly due to his belief that the security guards are little more than heavy hitting thugs for the Vault administration. He is an independent figure, rarely falling on other people's support in difficult times, such as when the Vault administration launches another bout of censorship of him and his ideals, a trait which may be down to his relatively poor upbringing by his liberal parents. Equipment *'Vault 42 Jumpsuit:' The standard Vault 45 jumpsuit that remains mandatory wear for all original Vault inhabitants, Richard wears this only to adhere to Vault regulations and give security staff one less reason to arrest him. He disregards this as he views it as a 'badge' of sorts, that signifies one's allegiance and social standing, increasing the divide between new arrivals and longstanding residents. Category:Characters Category:Vault Dwellers